I have my 16days old baby and she always want to something. I am sometimes breastfeeding her and sometimes give her feeding bottles. The problem is that she's only playing with the milk and that makes her choke. could i start giving her a pacifier?

Thanks,
Kristel

19th September 2013, 07:04 AM

ljmarsden

Dear Kristel,

How are you getting on with your new baby? I hope all is well with you. Apologies for the delay in replying to your post.

The problem with giving a pacifier (dummy) to a breastfed baby is that it can reduce the amount of time the baby spends at the breast. This can reduce a woman's breastmilk supply (because breastmilk is produced on a supply and demand basis) and this becomes a vicious circle where less breastmilk is produced so the baby is on the breast less so less breastmilk is produced etc.

I commented on one of your previous posts that it is best if the baby only has breastmilk in the first 6 months of life. In particular, introducing artificial teats (including bottles and pacifiers) before breastfeeding is fully established (at around 8-12 weeks depending on the mum and the baby) can cause the baby to have 'nipple confusion' and so find it difficult to latch on to the breast. This is because there is a different technique required for a baby to latch onto the breast compared to drinking from a bottle.

You say that you baby is 'only playing with the bottle' and that is why you are considering introducing a pacifier. However, what about offering your baby the breast on these occasions? A baby gets a huge amount of comfort and contentment from being on the breast (even when they are not feeling hungry).